The Mask of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Tejina Kyousei
Summary: A new student at Haruhi's school brings a storm of chaos to the peaceful lives of the SOS-dan members. Story starts two months into school year.
1. Chapter 1 :: School Day

**Chapter 1 :: School Day**

_"Only like philosophy & after school the time_  
_That's what i call my own time _  
_Nice girls meet nice boys at end of the school day _  
_While other girls go staight home _  
_talking 'bout soaps'n' that..."_

* * *

"Wake up, or else you'll miss breakfast!"

The voice resounded from the bottom of the stairs, the sound of dishes clattering echoing through the house.

In response, the covers shifted and a head peeped out from beneath them. Black hair was tied up into a quarter ponytail, most of it having fallen out during the night. Dark blue eyes blinked slowly open, wincing at the morning light coming in through the window.

"I'm up," the girl said sleepily, scratching her cheek. "I'm going to shower first, okay?"

"Go ahead, you've got a little while before I'm done," the voice said cheerfully.

A quick shower later, the girl stood at the mirror, wrestling her hip-length hair into two braids. After having accomplished that mammoth task, she hurriedly changed into her school uniform. She did a twirl, pausing to stare intently at the school's crest before admiring the outfit.

"Like I thought, this looks great, ~desho?" the girl said with a grin. Skipping down the stairs, she plopped at the table as a young man placed toast and eggs on the table.

"Are you ready to start your new school, Kamiko?" he inquired, sweeping his black bangs out of his eyes. "You'll be okay, right? It's already two months into the new semester." His green eyes were concerned as he sat across from her.

"Dun worry, I'll be fine Maro-nii," Kamiko said, scarfing down the eggs. "This is the start of my new highschool life ~desho!" She paused as she looked at the toast.

"Why toast as well?" she asked with a blank look on her face.

"You're going to be late," Maro said with a grin.

Kamiko glanced up at the clock. "Crap! Why didn't you tell me?" she groaned, shoving the toast in her mouth as she struggled into her jacket. She paused at the door as she put her shoes on.

"I see what you did there," Kamiko suddenly said, eyes gleaming. "Encounter rate chance increased, right?"

Maro gave her a thumbs-up while shooing her out the door. "Go on, and let me know when you come home how it went."

Kamiko gave a wave as she dashed down the street, heading to North High School.

* * *

"While I appreciate the gesture," she grumbled around the toast as she ran, "how do people not choke when they run into peo-"

She let out a squeak as she barrelled into someone as she turned the corner, hitting the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she babbled, not looking up.

A male voice chuckled as a hand helped her stand. "I'm not hurt, so it's fine."

"**[Crash into someone hello]** much?" Kamiko muttered to herself, then glanced up at the person she had struck. "Are you okay?"

"I shouldn't have been daydreaming," the boy said with a smile. Kamiko noticed his eyes were a beautiful shade of amber. "I was just contemplating the Simulation Argument."

"Ah." An awkward silence fell between the two of them, until Kamiko shook her head. "I'm going to be late! Sorry again!"

"Your plan worked, Maro-nii," Kamiko said with a small chuckle as she sprinted towards the school's gates. "Although I really shouldn't be late on my first day."

The teacher in charge of her class was waiting in the lobby of the school, glancing at his watch and tapping his foot. Kamiko waved, but he didn't appear to notice her.

With a small sigh, Kamiko hit the edge of the lockers with her elbow, causing the teacher to jump.

"Ah, Shizuki-san," he said, rubbing his face. "You startled me. Come, I'll show you to the classroom."

As the teacher prattled on about the history of the school, Kamiko absentmindedly ran through her self-introduction, mentally editing it for the umpteenth time.

"...this is your homeroom," the teacher said, stopping at the door. "Sasaski-san?"

He looked around, puzzled, as the door opened.

"Oh, Sensei," a student chirped. "Why are you standing out there?"

"We have a new transfer student," the teacher said in confusion. "I don't know where she went..."

Kamiko massaged her temples, taking two steps back from her position beside the teacher.

"Sorry, Sensei," she said in a cheery voice. "I accidentally went down the wrong hallway."

The teacher and student both jumped.

"Well, then," he harrumphed. "Take care not to get lost on your way to your classes."

"Yessir," Kamiko said with a forced smile. Trotting to the front of the room, she bowed.

"My name is Kamiko Shizuki. I'm transferring here from Rei High School and I hope to get along with everyone."

Some scattered applause met her statement and the class quickly resumed its normal state of chatter. Kamiko stood uncertainly for a few moments, then turned to her teacher.

"Um, Sensei, where should I sit?"

The teacher, who had apparently forgotten all about her, twitched noticably. "You can sit in the back, there's an empty seat." He gestured, and Kamiko edged towards the desk.

The classroom door suddenly opened with a clang, startling everyone.

"Koizumi, you're late again," the teacher said with a glare.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot my bag," a familiar voice said. Looking up, Kamiko saw the boy she had crashed into.

"There's a new student here. Since you're late, you can show her around the school," the teacher said, returning to his work. "You're both transfers, after all."

"I'll do my best, Sensei," the boy said with a bland smile. He took the seat beside Kamiko, near the window.

"H-hi," Kamiko squeaked. His amber eyes met hers and she blushed, looking at her feet. "Sorry about this morning."

"We meet again," he said with a smile. "I'm Itsuki Koizumi. I transferred in recently, too." His brown hair sparkled in the light from the window.

"Kamiko Shizuki," she said, fiddling with her braids. "I hope we can get along."

"I'm sure we will." He paused, a thoughtful look entering his eyes. "How about I show you around during lunch?"

"That would be great," Kamiko said with a small smile. "I look forward to it."

Itsuki was about to say more, but was cut off by the teacher as class began.

* * *

During the break between classes, Kamiko sighed and stretched, watching the people around her. Itsuki had disappeared, so she resorted to her standard Observational Mode.

"Where did that new kid go?" a girl said, looking around. "I wanted to talk to her."

"Me too," another girl said. "I wonder why she started in the middle of the month? And isn't Rei school a lot better than ours?"

_I bet she has issues,_ their faces said.

"Koizumi-kun seemed to know her," a third girl said. "I wonder what their relationship is?"

_She'd better not get too close,_ her face said.

Kamiko frowned, then stood up, her chair clattering. The group of girls jumped, looking around guiltily, but quickly resumed their chatter.

"I guess it was too much to hope for," Kamiko grumbled as she left the classroom. "**[New transfer student] **apparently lost its shine when Koizumi-san transferred. Though he _does_ have the window seat." She glanced down the hallway curiously. "I wonder where he went?"

As if summoned by her words, Itsuki appeared around the corner with a small, silver-haired girl. They were talking quietly, absorbed in their conversation, and as such didn't notice her.

"Koizumi-san?" Kamiko asked hesitantly.

Though he was startled, Itsuki's expression didn't change. "Ah, Shizuki-san. I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Is it time for class to start?"

On cue, the bell rang.

"Nagato-san, we'll continue talking after school," Itsuki said cheerfully, waving as the girl went the other way down the hall. "Shall we, Shizuki-san?"

"S-sure." Kamiko followed behind Itsuki, taking care to ensure her steps were loud enough to distinguish the space between them. "I can keep this up, ~desho," she murmured. "It's not that bad."

"Pardon?" Itsuki turned around, but Kamiko gave a smile. "Ah, that reminds me. I didn't pack a lunch. Would you like to visit the cafeteria at noon?"

Kamiko mentally face-palmed as she pictured the lunch that Maro had made for her, sitting on the counter. "I also forgot my lunch, ~desho."

The dark-haired girl clapped a hand over her mouth, cursing her tongue.

"We can eat together, then," Itsuki said with a smile as they entered the classroom. Kamiko could sense the hostile stares, but they soon faded as her classmates were distracted by other things.

As the teacher droned on about history, Kamiko's eyes wandered around the room.

_Likes the girl to the left._

Lying to him.

Laughing, but doesn't think it's funny.

Hates her for liking him.

She sighed. "**[Sherlock scan] **is rather inconvenient. I'd rather be **[blessed with suck]**."

Itsuki glanced up from his notetaking. "Blessed? What do you mean by that?" His eyes were interested, despite his usual bland smile.

Kamiko snorted. "I'm not blessed."

The girl in the seat beside her jumped.

"When did she get here?"

"She's like a ghost."

"Creepy."

Kamiko closed her eyes, slowly counting to ten before opening them again. "My first day and I've already got rumors going," she muttered.

"I'm sure it will turn out to be nothing," Itsuki smiled.

"I wish," Kamiko said wistfully. "That would be nice, ~desho?"

She put her head in her hands as that damned word slipped out again.

* * *

Kamiko stretched as the bell for lunch rang, standing and lightly kicking the side of her desk. Her neighbour twitched, but otherwise acted normal.

"Shall we go?" Itsuki asked, motioning towards the door.

"Certainly, thank you," Kamiko said politely. Trailing two steps behind the tall boy, she eyed up the students curiously. They all seemed to be quite interested in Itsuki.

"Another one?" one student whispered, leading to giggles. "How does that club work so fast? I haven't even found out that new girl's name!"

"Club?" Kamiko inquired, catching up to Itsuki. "What club?"

"Ah, it's nothing, really." Itsuki waved her question off. "Here's the cafeteria." As he gestured, his hand touched Kamiko's. She was startled at the fact that she blushed.

"**[Accidental hand hold] **already?" she murmured, dark blue eyes staring at Itsuki. The boy ran a hand through his light brown hair, slightly uncomfortable.

They were suddenly interrupted by a boy running up to them, his dark brown hair in disarray. "Koizumi-"

He paused, brown eyes widening as he took in the expression on Itsuki's face.

"You're not smiling," the boy said, raising an eyebrow.

Itsuki's expression suddenly melted into his bland smile. "I almost forgot."

"_She_ wants to know why you're not in the clubroom," the boy said with a long-suffering sigh. The emphasis he placed on 'she' piqued Kamiko's curiousity.

"I'm showing her around the school, Kyon," Itsuki said, pointing at Kamiko. She waved, her braids almost mimicking the movement. "Kamiko Shizuki, meet Kyon."

"Agh!" Kyon jumped, breathing hard. "I thought Yuki...never mind." He paused, then shrugged. "I'll tell her that, then. Good luck."

"Surely you don't expect anything to come of it," Itsuki said slyly.

Kamiko stared at the two of them, confused at their mysterious conversation. "Um, nice to meet you, Kyon-san."

Kyon massaged his temples. "I'll leave you to it, then. You'd best be there after school, though." With that, he jogged off as Itsuki turned to Kamiko.

"We'd best hurry, otherwise the best food will be gone."

Kamiko smiled as she followed Itsuki, her steps swallowed up by the crowd.

* * *

"Maro-nii, I'm home," Kamiko called, taking her shoes off.

When silence greeted her, she peered into the kitchen. "Maro-nii? You're here, ~desho? You left the door unlocked again!"

The quiet of the house disturbed her.

She wasn't alone again...

...was she?

Suddenly the door slammed open, causing Kamiko to shriek in alarm and scramble backwards.

Maro stood there, sweating and breathing heavily. His hair was in disarray, green eyes concerned.

"Hey, Kami-chama," he said with an easy grin. "Sorry, I had to go and grab a few things. I wanted to be here before you got home, though." He sighed, dropping the bags he was carrying on the landing. "How was your first day at school?"

"Only triggered a few flags," Kamiko grumbled. "Ran into a guy on my way to school, and it turns out he's in my class."

Maro grinned, and Kamiko tossed a shoe at him.

"Aside from that, though, it's business as usual." She sighed as she undid her braids, allowing her hair to flow around her face.

"I look like Sadako," she muttered as she flipped her hair back. "Maro-nii, how was work?"

"Fine, fine," Maro said, waving a hand at the teen. "Although Nina-chan isn't nearly as good as you."

"Nina-chan? Isn't she the manager?" Kamiko inquired curiously.

"Come on, you know better than that. We all know how to do everything by now." Maro busied himself with putting away the groceries as Kamiko went up the stairs to her room, flopping face first onto her bed.

"I don't need friends, ~desho," she mumbled. "It's not like it matters. People will always be startled."

Itsuki's face floated into her mind.

"He's popular. Definitely a main character. I'm more of an NPC type of person, ~desho?"

She stayed like that for quite some time.


	2. Chapter 2 :: Travelling Somewhere

_(Teji note: I apologize for all of the random, non-SOS Brigade related stuff, but soon it will come up, I promise D= )_

**Chapter 2 :: Travelling Somewhere**

_"I go home alone_  
_Like it watching the nameless people_  
_Surfing subways, travelling somewhere_  
_...nowhere..."_

* * *

Itsuki wasn't at school the next day. Kamiko was a bit disappointed, but figured she might be able to try to make some friends.

Unfortunately, she just scared everyone she tried to talk to. Quite a few dirty looks were shot her way as she sat at her desk, putting her head on her arms. Soon the room quieted as classes began, and she found refuge in her work as she listened to the lecture.

At lunch, she glanced at her timetable. "Math, and physical education, huh?" Since she didn't really participate in gym and was ahead of North High in math, she sighed.

"May as well skip ~desho."

She trotted to the classroom and dropped her math homework on the teacher's desk, then left the building.

On her way outside, she paused as she saw a small, red flag on the lawn. "Wonder what that's doing there?" she murmured, trotting past two teachers who were chatting. They never even looked up. Still, Kamiko held her breath until she was outside of the school gates.

"Now that's over with," she said with a stretch, "I can finally relax." With that, she pulled out a Nintendo DS, and was quickly absorbed in a game. She navigated the streets with ease, having had much practice playing games and dodging crowds.

Eventually looking up, she found herself in the 3-Choume area outside of a cafe.

"Okaeri Cafe," she said with a sigh. "Figures."

The outside was brightly decorated, the windows showing girls in school uniforms serving customers.

"School outfits? On Tuesdays?" Kamiko said, startling the people beside her. "I wonder why?"

Pushing the door open, the tiny bell jingled and a small girl trotted over. She glanced about inquisitively before shrugging and turning away.

"Good afternoon, Chiyo-san," Kamiko said. The girl squeaked and whipped around, brown eyes glaring at the teen.

"You and your mysterious appearances," Chiyo grumbled. "He's out at the moment."

"Again? Well, I guess I'll wait for him." Kamiko glanced around the cosplay cafe. "Not a lot of customers today, though."

"Yeah, I thought for sure school uniforms would be a hit, what with school starting again and all." Chiyo pouted, wrinkling her nose. "This was such a pain to set up."

Indeed, the inside of the cafe resembled a school. Desks were set up, with a cafeteria-style food selection. The specials were written on chalkboards, with food and desserts being showcased buffet-style.

"But people can see them anytime now," Kamiko pointed out. "The **[joshikousei]** is very well done, though."

"True," Chiyo admitted,, twirling. Her mock-school-uniform was very well done. If Kamiko hadn't known better, she would have guessed the waitress was just a customer. The door opened again, and Kamiko quickly sat at a window table.

"Good afternoon, Senpai," Chiyo chirped. "Where do you want to sit?"

Kamiko sat quietly, briefly glancing over the menu. 'Okaeri School Kyuushoku' was written on a laminated leaflet. After a moment of pondering, she glanced around the cafe. It was quiet, with only a few customers in the cafe.

_Loneliness._

_Desire._

_Lust and apprehension._

She made a face at the owner of that last look-a guy with a suspicious aura about him. He seemed to be darting glances around the cafe, then at the waitresses. His gaze finally fell on the bag at his feet-and Kamiko spotted a small, red dot.

Grabbing her napkin and standing up, Kamiko snuck over, unnoticed, and peered into the bag. There, set to catch upskirt views of the waitresses, was a video camera. She quickly put the napkin over the lens and trotted over to the till, where a small, young girl was standing.

Kamiko tapped the counter gently.

The girl twitched, then noticed the teen. Sweeping unruly black curls out of her eyes, she frowned at Kamiko.

"Hey, what'd you need?"

"Ishiko-san, that guy has a camera," Kamiko whispered urgently, pointing to the customer. He was looking quite pleased with himself.

"Again? Third one already this month," Ishiko said, disgusted. "Here, watch the till. I'll let Nina-san know." She disappeared into the back, and moments later a tall redhead emerged.

The lanky girl easily vaulted the counter and strode up to the peeping customer, a murderous aura engulfing her. She "accidentally" kicked the bag, then put a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said in a monotonous tone. "Here, I'll pick that up for you."

"No, no, I-I can get it," the customer said, panicking.

"I _insist_," Nina said, green eyes glaring a hole into the guy. Sweeping it up, she dusted it off.

"Oh, this is a video camera," she said woodenly. "I wonder why it's recording? Oh, wait, it was on the ground, so..." She paused, seemingly taking delight in the horrified expression crossing his face. "I suggest you leave."

Ishiko appeared behind the redhead, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

"We appreciate the fact that you decided to visit our cafe," she said in a fake-cheery voice. "If we _ever_ see you again, I'll make sure you won't be able to see _anything_. I'd _love_ to show you what I can do, _Senpai_." Ishiko gave him a moment to let that sink in before smiling.

It was not a pure-hearted smile.

"We'll be contacting the proper authorities as well, so I suggest you scram." Nina gave the bag to Ishiko, then put her hands on her hips. "Seriously. Get out. Now."

The customer almost took out two tables in his rush to leave. Kamiko watched in amusement as Ishiko came back around the counter.

"I love your yandere," Kamiko said with a sigh. "It's so authentic. Though that was more **[cute and psycho]**."

Ishiko yelped, pointing at Kamiko as the redheaded girl came over. "Nina-san, she keeps scaring me." She pouted adorably, causing Chiyo to stick her tongue out.

"Stop that, Ishiko-chan," she chatised. "That's no way for a kouhai to act."

Nina sighed, running a hand through her short, choppy red hair. "Hey, Kamiko-chan. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school? And the rest of you lot, back to work," she barked, green eyes flashing. The waitresses scrambled back to work, the customers chuckling.

"I was bored," Kamiko said with a shrug, following the tall girl to the kitchen. "Need a hand?"

"Probably," Nina sighed, quickly tying a bandana on. "I really want him to hire a proper chef. There is so much paperwork to be done, since we're trying to hire more waitresses."

"Need to round out the archetypes, then?" Kamiko inquired, blue eyes dancing mischieviously.

"I know that look," Nina said with suspicion. "I'd rather not be subjected to your massive amount of knowledge, thank you very much." That having been said, she turned to grab orders while Kamiko fired up the grill.

The two fell into a rhythm, with Nina taking order papers and preparing the side dishes as Kamiko cooked.

"This seems to be a good way for me to affirm my existence," Kamiko said philosophically.

Nina raised an eyebrow, not startled in the least. "Oh? Why does your existence need affirming?"

Kamiko paused, considering her statement. "I wonder."

Nina was about to respond when the back door swung open, banging against the wall loudly. The two jumped in surprise as four boxes, apparently with legs, came through the doorway.

"Help...Nina..."

The redhead laughed as she took a box from the stack, revealing Maro's tired face.

"Ah, Kami-chama," Maro said with surprise, but he quickly frowned. "You should be at school," he said sternly. "You can't hide from it."

"It's hiding from me," Kamiko said dryly. "Besides, Nina summoned me with her pleas for help."

"I did not."

"How's the kyuushoku working?" Maro inquired, shooting both Nina and Kamiko looks.

"It's all right. We're not doing all that well with the seaweed soup. The yaki set, however, seems quite popular."

Kamiko glanced over at the list of meal sets.

_Lunch Set A: Yakisoba, tamagoyaki, apple, milk, miso soup_

_Lunch Set B: Rice, sauteed cabbage, orange, milk, seaweed soup_

_Special: Croquette, almond toast, rice, potato stew, drink, served by your favourite kouhai or senpai!_

She paused, peering out into the restaurant. There were few customers in the cafe, so some of the waitresses were standing at the counter chatting.

"Chiyo-chan!" a male voice called, and Chiyo quickly hurried over, a wide smile on her face.

"Yes, Senpai? What can I do for you?"

"Can I have a refill?"

"Of course, Senpai!" Chiyo trotted towards the counter, glaring at Ishiko, who whistled innocently as she filled the cup.

Kamiko watched their interactions with interest. Their expressions never stayed still long enough for her to decipher their intents, so getting to know them had been an ardous task, indeed.

"...Kamiko?"

The teen jumped. "Y-yes?"

Nina chuckled. "First time _I've_ ever scared _you_, I think. Maro's wanting to talk to you." She nodded towards the back door, where Maro was standing. He was waving impatiently at the two of them.

Sighing, Kamiko wiped her hands on her apron and opened the squeaky screen door.

"So, why did you skip school?" Maro asked quietly. "What happened to trying this time?"

Kamiko refused to look up at him, scuffing the ground with her feet.

"Kamiko."

Dark, dark blue eyes met green, and the green eyes were steady.

"I'm sorry, Maro-nii," Kamiko said quietly. "I'm just not ready for my life as an **[Ordinary High School Student] **yet."

Maro sighed. "You can't skip tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah." Kamiko paused, sweeping her long braids over her shoulders. "By the way, you have a terrible sense of timing for the cafe theme, ~desho."

"I know, I know," Maro said, massaging his temples. "Nina keeps berating me. Anyway. You should go home. I can't let myself let you work right now."

"Okay, Maro-nii." Kamiko gave him a quick hug before leaving the cafe, taking the long way home. Her thoughts were a confusing tangle, and she decided to put them to rest until the morning.


	3. Chapter 3 :: Door of Mysteries

(_(Teji note: text with_ **[[[ ]]] **_is spoken in English.)_

**Chapter 3 :: Door of Mysteries**

_"I believe in fantasies invisible to me_  
_In the land of misery I'm searchin' for the sign_  
_To the door of mystery and dignity_  
_I'm wandering down, and searchin' down the secret sun..."_

* * *

The week went by with Kamiko quietly observing her classmates, interjecting into conversations here and there. Itsuki made a point to talk to her whenever he could, but soon the glares from her female classmates were constant.

As Kamiko sat alone, eating lunch, someone tapped her on the back. She blinked and turned, surprised to see a girl smiling cheerfully at her.

Kamiko hadn't even drawn attention to herself.

Short, black hair in a pageboy cut and large green eyes were peering intently at Kamiko. She put her hands on her hips, pondering, then pulled a pen out from behind her ear, opening a notebook.

"Kamiko Shizuki, right?" she said, pen hovering over the paper. "I'm Saki Kishimoto." She looked at her hands, as though surprised that they held writing implements. She sheepishly put them down.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I seem to do that without thinking, nowadays. Anyway, nice to meet you." She held out her hand, and Kamiko rose and slowly shook it.

"Nice to meet you as well," Kamiko said hesitantly.

"What's your impression of the school so far?" Saki inquired, glaring at the girls who were whispering.

Kamiko studied Saki's expression.

_Genuine interest._

She was a little surprised at that.

"It's...okay," Kamiko said after a moment. "Um. Koizumi-san has shown me around, but I still get lost sometimes."

"Ah, I know how you feel," Saki said with a long-suffering sigh. "This school is way too big."

"Probably because you came from the boonies," a girl snickered.

Saki whirled around, shooting them a look that Kamiko missed, but the girls stopped talking and slunk off.

"Anyway. I was just wondering if I could write a small column on you for the newspaper? It's only the start of the year and we're having trouble filling the pages. I've already done Koizumi-san, and you're the only other transfer student. So far." She paused, eyes sparkling.

Kamiko was taken aback. "Really?" She considered whether anyone would read it, but Saki's pure aura softened her. "Yeah, sure."

"Awesome!" Saki did a victory pose that reminded Kamiko of a certain anime, but she decided to keep her mouth shut.

"All right. First question: When's your birthday?"

"April 30."

"Oh, that's close to mine," Saki said with a grin. "April 28. Next question: What are your hobbies?"

Kamiko thought for a moment, considering her options. "I like reading horror novels, playing games, and cooking."

"Ah, I see!" Saki's pen was flying. "Have you decided to join any clubs yet?"

Kamiko's blank stare caused Saki to look up, and she giggled.

"Apparently not. I'll fill you in when I'm done. What are you good at?"

"Good at? Not a lot. Though I'm fluent in English. Math seems to be attracted to me, as well."

"Oh, really? I'm good in English, too. We should join the Foreign Languages club," she said with a laugh. "What are you bad at? What are your favourite foods?"

"I'm not good at public speaking. And music." Kamiko sighed, thinking of her music class. "I should probably practice that. Pianos don't agree with me. As for food...taiyaki is delicious. Umeboshi, not so much." She stuck her tongue out, picturing all of the dishes at the cafe that featured sour plums.

"Cool, cool," Saki said, pausing as she scribbled. "Any other comments?"

"Nope." Kamiko stretched, her braids falling over her shoulders.

"You have really long hair," Saki said with surprise. "Isn't it a pain to wash?"

"Nah, I'm used to it. I don't think it's ever been short. Besides, they can be deadly weapons," Kamiko said wickedly, doing a half-twirl. Her braids flipped around, almost smacking Saki in the nose.

"I will keep that in mind," Saki said, taken aback. The bell rang, causing both girls to jump. "How about after school I tell you about all of the school clubs? I think recruitment day is coming up soon, so you'll have the inside scoop." Her green eyes twinkled, and Kamiko repressed the urge to laugh.

"That would be great," she said, smiling.

* * *

After school, Saki was waiting at the lockers. "Hey, Shizuki-chan," she said with an easy grin. "I'll show you where the club rooms are. Come on, follow me." She skipped ahead, trusting that Kamiko would be behind her.

Mildly curious, Kamiko kept four paces behind the girl, keeping her steps in time. Usually, this threw people off, as they quickly forgot she was behind them.

"Are you playing a game?" Saki inquired, turning around suddenly. "You're pretty good, being able to match my steps. I was making them stacatto just to fool you."

Kamiko blinked.

That was new.

"We're here. These are the craft club rooms. You know, sewing, art, calligraphy, flower arrangement, those kind of things. The book-ish clubs are here, too. I think the literature club was disbanded, though, which is too bad. The newspaper club is over here." Pointing to a large door, Saki looked quite proud of herself. "There's a mystery club, but I think they discuss novels more than anything else. Maybe you'd like it? Though I'd much rather have you in the newspaper club," Saki barrelled on, not giving Kamiko a chance to get a word in edgewise.

Not that she minded, though. It was nice to listen to the girl's pratter.

"The other clubs are over here, and the music clubs are actually on the third floor." She paused. "Though that probably doesn't interest you, does it?"

Kamiko shrugged. "Not really, no."

"There's a cooking club, too!" Saki's eyes sparkled with excitement. "If you join, can you bring me the things you make?" She was almost drooling at the thought. Kamiko had to repress the urge to giggle.

"Maybe." She looked around, bemused. "This is certainly an interesting school."

"You don't know the half of it," Saki said mysteriously, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Next time we meet, I shall tell you the mysteries of the school."

"Mysteries?"

"Yeah, the classic 'seven mysteries of the school'." Saki's voice returned to its cheery tone. "Though we only have, like, four." She shook her head sadly. "We've fallen behind in the scary stuff. Wait! Maybe you can tell scary stories or something! The occult club tries to summon demons, but...I certainly think they've failed. Otherwise I'd have seen something."

Saki paused, green eyes widening. "I just realized I haven't really stopped talking, have I?"

Kamiko nodded, and Saki face-palmed.

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing. "I have a habit of conversing with myself. That certainly hasn't helped my...social status, I suppose." She sighed as she straightened up. "That being said, I'm sure they're getting ready to close the school. We'd best be going."

Indeed, the sun was slowly beginning to set.

"Thank you for the tour," Kamiko said with a shy smile. "I appreciate it, ~desho."

"No problemo," Saki said with a grin. "Any time you need information, find Saki!" She struck a pose, and Kamiko's blue eyes smiled as they hurried home.

* * *

By the next week, the school was buzzing. Kamiko, already seated well before the bell rang, listened curiously as her classmates came in gossiping.

"Yeah, Jin-kun heard it..."

"No way, that's so scary! I don't believe it."

"True, I swear! Besides, a lot of them are happening around here..."

_Fear._

Apprehension.

Glee.

A pen poked her side, causing Kamiko to whirl around, knocking her backpack off of her desk. The clatter scared the group of girls, and they sighed and rolled their eyes upon seeing Kamiko.

"She hasn't really said anything, has she?"

"It's like she's not even interested."  
"Whatever."

Kamiko was so absorbed in analyzing their words and faces that she forgot about the pen-poker. Another jab to the ribs, however, quickly brought her attention back.

Saki was peering suspiciously at Kamiko. "What were you doing, trying to make them explode into flames or something?"

Kamiko paused, unsure of how to react. Was she serious, or...?

The twinkle in Saki's eyes were the giveaway. Kamiko gave a half-smile, shaking her head. "Nah. If that was the case, my entire school would have gone up in smoke."

_Do I ask?_

The question was obvious on Saki's face, but after a moment the girl decided against it.

"Wanna hear the latest scoop?" Saki was positively _glowing_ with excitement. "The mysteries of North High have increased!"

"Oh?" Kamiko asked, eyes widening. "How so?"

The bell rang, causing Saki to groan. "I'll tell you at lunch. Don't listen to the gossip, okay? Only I know the _true_ story!" She struck her pose, which was greatly diminished by the fact that she was sitting in a chair.

Kamiko chuckled, but nodded in agreement. She had a feeling she knew about those rumors.

Time had never passed so slowly.

* * *

At last, lunchtime arrived. Saki was immediately upon Kamiko, nearly tripping over herself in excitement.

"Anyway, the mysteries. Come with me!" Saki pulled Kamiko outside, around to a secluded corner of the school. Kamiko had the foresight to have her lunch on hand, sensing Saki's determination.

Saki eyed Kamiko's lunch enviously, distracted by the sight.

"Please don't tell me you made that."

"Okay." Kamiko was silent as she tucked in to her lunch, and Saki eventually sighed.

"I was kidding. So. The mysteries of North High!" She paused, considering. "I've said that quite a bit, recently. There should be another name for it, or something." She whipped out her notebook and jotted some things down as Kamiko continued eating her lunch, waiting expectantly.

"The first one is a classic mystery. On the third floor, on a certain day, at a certain time, a staircase appears out of nowhere. Whoever goes up it never comes back." Saki shrugged. "That one sounds a bit fishy. We need details, people, details!" She pounded her fist on her notebook in frustration.

"There's a club room, unmarked, that has stayed closed despite all efforts to open it. During a full moon, you can see the shadow of a woman in the window and hear weeping coming from the room." Saki's voice dropped to a whisper. "I couldn't get in there, and the full moon is coming up. We should investigate."

Kamiko blinked, unsure of what to say to that, but Saki barrelled on.

"There are new ones, now, though. Quite a few people have been involved, so I'm trying to trace it backwards...no success, yet on some of them. Stupid gossips." Saki shook her fist in the general direction of the students.

"New mysteries?" Kamiko asked with a sinking feeling.

"Yep. There's a cursed blackboard in 1-6. You know, the class down the hall? One guy said that he knew a kid who went into the room to grab his bag. The board was blank. His friend went in there a couple of minutes later, and there was English on the blackboard-it was like it was a curse! The two kids have been having all sorts of bad luck lately." She paused, running a hand through her short hair. "I know who's involved in that, but...I feel sorry for the guys." She shook her head wryly. "Bring down the curse of the ancients or something."

Kamiko rubbed her eyes tiredly at that statement.

"Then there's the piano. After 5 o'clock, you can hear the piano being played, but no one is in the room." Saki sighed. "That one's a bit harder to confirm, because the music room is usually locked. Besides, you can't see the back of the piano from the doorway. I think I heard that one from the teachers, though."

Kamiko put her head in her hands, considering her options. As if sensing her hesitation, Saki perked up.

"You know something, don't you?" she said, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"I may ~desho."

"Spill."

"Erm. Kishimoto-san, if I tell you, it might not end well." Kamiko lay on the grass, staring up at the sky.

"Kishimoto-san? That's _way_ too formal. Call me Saki-chan. And I can call you Kami-chan." Saki paused, thinking. "Are the characters the same?"

"Close enough." Kamiko rolled onto her stomach. "Basically..." She paused, blue eyes darkening as she looked up at Saki.

_Interest, puzzlement. _No hint of unease.

"Those last two mysteries were me," Kamiko admitted finally.

Saki stared at her, and Kamiko refused to look her in the eyes.

The laughter caused her to jump.

"Really? Really, Kami-chan? That's _great_!" Saki laughed so hard she began tearing up. "I was wondering, since you came and then all that stuff happened, but _how_?"

_Amusement, amazement, joy_. This was a strange girl, indeed.

"Well, the cursed blackboard thing. I've been reading an English novel and couldn't figure out some of the passages, so on a day I happened to stay behind I wrote it on the board. The first guy came in as I was getting ready to write, the second one after I'd wrote it down and had sat at my desk to translate it."

Saki wiped tears from her eyes. "That makes sense. The piano, I'm going to guess you stayed behind to practice?"

"Well, I do suck at music. I told the teacher, but I think they forgot about me." Kamiko sighed, sitting up. "So that clears up those mysteries."

"You wanna help me investigate the Closed Clubroom?" Saki asked, a gleam in her eye. "We'll have to stay behind."

"Today?" Kamiko was startled at how fast Saki moved, but the short-haired girl laughed.

"No, no. It's not until Thursday. I've got a club meeting after school today, but tomorrow we should hang out!"

Kamiko blinked, amazed at the normalcy of the conversation she was having. "I've been **[Brought Down to Normal]**, ~desho?" she murmured as Saki ran out of breath.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period. Kamiko stared at her half-eaten lunch, then held it out.

"Here, take it."

Saki eyed her up. "You haven't called me by name, Kami-chan."

Kamiko bit her lip. "That's true ~desho. Okay. Here, S-s-s...Saki-chan." She blushed as she thrust it at her friend.

"Thanks! I'll probably end up eating it during class, though. You're too cute, Kami-chan," Saki said with a sly grin. "I wonder if Koizumi-san has noticed?"

Kamiko brushed herself off as she headed into the school, Saki giggling behind her.

* * *

First period Tuesday, Itsuki tossed a note onto Kamiko's desk.

_I've noticed you're meeting up with Kishimoto-san,_ it said. _Has that taken the pressure off of you?_

Kamiko looked up, bemused, but eyed her classmates. Now that she thought about it, she'd gone back to her normal status of ignored. The girls seemed to have let up. She nodded at Itsuki before jotting her own thoughts on the paper.

_She is a nice girl,_ Kamiko wrote. _I think we'll get along well. I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused you._

None at all.

Looking up, she saw Itsuki wink at her. She blushed, her braids hiding her face. _I'd been hoping for a chance to talk to you, but it seems time is scarce lately._

Indeed, she'd seen him dragged off by that boy Kyon after class lately.

The teacher suddenly honed in on her, as if sensing that she wasn't paying attention.

"Shizuki-san? Can you translate this paragraph for us?" the teacher said, eyes sharp.

**[[[**"In anything to do with the use of a razor, Yoshisaburo was truly a master. A man with a strong temper, moreover, if he stroked the skin and it was the least bit rough, he was not satisfied until pinching up the stubble hairs one by one he'd shaved it absolutely smooth. In doing this he'd never chafed the skin. Customers claimed that when they'd been shaven by Yoshisaburo, their one-day growth was not the same. He was proud of the fact that in ten years he had never so much as inadvertently nicked a customer's face."**]]]**

Kamiko stopped, looking up. "Is that far enough, Sensei?"

The class was staring at her in utter astonishment at her flawless pronunciation. The teacher coughed to regain her composure before continuing the lecture.

The stares continued, though.

_That was rather impressive,_ Itsuki wrote. _You're obviously leagues ahead of us in English. What about any other classes?_

_Math, I guess, _Kamiko replied. _And cooking. But that's it._

Itsuki looked at her and smiled. Saki, across the room, spotted it and raised an eyebrow with a wide grin at Kamiko, who promptly ignored it.

At the end of the day, Saki trotted over as Kamiko was packing her bag. "So, you and Koizumi-san seem to be getting along nicely," she said quietly. Kamiko's eyes snapped up to Saki's face.

_Interest, mischief. _No jealousy. That was nice.

She was certainly getting the evil eye from the girls gathered in the corner, though.

"She thinks she's hot stuff because she can speak English," one sneered. "Why doesn't she just move to America?"

"Yeah. Besides, Koizumi-kun doesn't like showoffs."

Saki tugged Kamiko out of the room, her green eyes glaring daggers at the girls as they passed by.

"The gaijin _would_ latch onto her." Snickers followed them as the two teens left the room. Saki's face was flushed as she stalked out of the school.

_Rage. Hatred._ Kamiko walked uneasily beside Saki, unsure of how to react, but soon Saki's expression returned to its normal cheerfulness.

"So, what's the scoop on your family?" Saki asked, eyes sparkling with curiousity. "Where do you live?"

"I live near the 3-Choume area. Maro runs a cafe there." Kamiko paused, wondering how her relationship to Maro seemed to outsiders, and unsure of how to put it.

"Oh? What kind of cafe?"

"Hmm. Normal, I guess." Kamiko knew that was a blatant lie.

A moment of Saki staring intently at her face led to the short-haired girl sighing. "You're impossibly cool, you know that? How are you not surrounded by boys?"

Kamiko snorted. "That chance is less than zero ~desho."

"By the way, when did you start tacking desho onto the end of your sentences?" Saki inquired. Kamiko glanced at her friend out of the corner of her eye, but didn't see any ill intent.

"I guess when I was little, I had a questioning nature." Kamiko shrugged. "I really try not to say it, but sometimes it feels like my mouth has a mind of its own."

Saki sighed. "I know how you feel, but mine just doesn't stop talking."

Kamiko giggled at the truth in that statement. The rest of their walk was spent in idle chitchat, slowly getting to know each other better.

"I like baseball, too," Saki said as they came up to Kamiko's house. "But I'm not very good at it. I get impatient and swing at anything."

"I was never big on sports," Kamiko said as she unlocked the door. "Maro-nii, I'm home," she called. "I brought a friend."

"Welcome back." Maro trotted down the stairs, dusting himself off. "I was just going through the closet. Quite a few things we don't need in there."

"My name is Saki Kishinuma. I'm in the same class as Kami-chan. Nice to meet you," Saki said with a bow.

"Oh, how well-mannered. My name is Maro, same." He bowed as Kamiko dropped her bag and gave Saki a quick tour.

"Our kitchen, as you can obviously see, is directly off of the porch." She gestured to the wide kitchen, an island with stools separating the counters and the table. An arched doorframe gave a glimpse into the living room, with plush furniture and a modest TV; a large cabinet stood right beside it.

"Washrooms are down the hall, along with the laundry room and pantry," Kamiko said, pointing down the hall beside the stairs. "Upstairs is Maro-nii and my rooms, and two bathrooms, as well as a study."

"Nice house," Saki said, craning her neck to see everything. "Are we going to go up to your room, Kami-chan?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"**[Event flag]**," Kamiko said with an inward smile. "Yeah, Maro-nii has some stuff he needs to get done." Kamiko led the way up the stairs after glancing at Maro, who was smiling broadly.

He gave her a thumbs-up, and Kamiko sighed.

"Here's my room." Kamiko opened the door with a hint of trepidation. She wasn't sure what to expect, or what Saki would expect.

A neat, tidy room with a large window, a desk, and a bookshelf. A chest of drawers was near the window, with a small music box atop it. A small TV was in the corner, with two gaming consoles hooked up.

Saki made a face. "I see English," she grumbled. Kamiko shrugged.

"I can't get some of them in Japanese," Kamiko said apologetically. Her blue eyes showed hesitation as Saki flopped onto her bed.

"Well, I can't say I expected _too_ much," Saki said, her words muffled by the pillows. "Where are your games?"

"In the drawers." Kamiko trotted over to it, pulling out some random games. "What do you want to play?"

"What have you got?" Saki asked, eyes lighting up. "I'm good at the puzzle games."

The two teens spent the next hour playing and arguing. Kamiko was delighted at the fact that Saki seemed to be having a good time, and Maro was pleased that Kamiko was making an effort.

After Kamiko gave a final beatdown on Saki at a fighting game, the brown-haired girl growled and stood up, stretching out. "Aren't your legs numb?"

Kamiko stared at her legs. She had been cross-legged the entire time, whereas Saki rarely sat still.

"No, they aren't. Maybe part of the reason you lost was because you felt the need to move around so much? Your concentration was scattered," Kamiko said with a small smile, unsure of how Saki would react.

Saki sulked, and Kamiko exhaled a small sigh of relief.

She then pulled out her ever-present notepad and leaned against Kamiko's bed, pondering.

"What should we bring?" Saki inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"On **[the Stakeout]**? Snacks, obviously," Kamiko said after a moment. "But lots of them, so one of us doesn't end up having to go get more. Pick things you like."

"Okay." Saki's pen was flying. "We'll want walkie-talkies. Who'll stay back and unlock the doors?"

"I will. There isn't a security system or anything, and club members stay late anyway ~desho. No one will ever notice I'm there." Kamiko gave a slight smile.

"All righty, Kami-chan will be the insider. Should we bring books or something? It'll be a bit of a wait before the moon rises high enough to hit the window."

"I can bring some horror novels to set the mood," Kamiko said hesitantly. "Or some games. Do you have any handhelds?"

"Sure to both." Saki looked up at Kamiko, impressed. "I didn't think of horror novels. Maybe we'll accidentally summon a ghost or something." She shivered in anticipation. "I get a good feeling about this."

Kamiko scooted over, glancing at Saki's notepad, but she could barely read it.

"What language is that in?" Kamiko asked incredulously.

"Shorthand and Japanese," Saki said slyly. "My handwriting makes it nearly illegible. Good thing, too, in case this happens to fall into the wrong hands." Saki made a dramatic motion of clutching the notepad to her chest. Kamiko chuckled at that as their discussion slowly drifted towards other, more mundane, topics.

A few hours later, once the plan had been "hashed out" (Saki's term), the two parted ways.

"Do you want me to walk you to the station?" Kamiko asked, figuring that's what people did when friends came over.

"Nah, I'll be fine," Saki said, waving a hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kami-chan!"

"See you, Saki-chan," Kamiko said, glad that the rapidly darkening sky hid her blush.


	4. Chapter 4 :: Ghost With A Name

**Chapter 4 :: Ghost With a Name**

_"The burning ghost without a name _  
_Was calling all the same _  
_But I wouldn't listen..."_

* * *

Thursday after class, Kamiko was slowly packing her bag. Most of her classmates had gone home; Itsuki had left for a "club meeting". She idly wondered what kind of club he was in, since he had somehow managed to avoid the topic whenever it was brought up.

Saki had been sneaking covert glances at Kamiko since fourth period, and was ready to dash out the door.

"Kami-chan, let me know when it's time," she whispered. "You have your walkie-talkie?"

"Yep."

"Cool. See you in a bit, then." With that, Saki was gone, and Kamiko pondered what to do while she waited.

Her job, after all, was to open the club building's door. Saki had, apparently, vaulted the gate on numerous occasions, so Kamiko didn't need to worry about that.

Kamiko slowly walked across the campus, admiring the warm sunlight and the well-tended grass. As she got close, she spotted a small, red flag planted in the garden.

She went to examine it more closely, but was interrupted by a group of boys passing by. Out of reflex, she hid around the corner, and decided now was a good time to go inside.

Scoping out the first floor, she found an empty clubroom-the tea club. It was a neatly-kept club, with teapots and a large cabinet with a wide variety of tea packets. Figuring this would be a decent room, Kamiko settled in on a cushion in the corner of the room and pulled out her NDS. She had brought a few games, most in an attempt to get her prepared in case something _did_ happen. Though she wasn't exactly the jumpy type, the idea of being alone in the school made her a bit nervous. Games always cheered her up, even if they were horror games. Desensitization, that's what she needed.

"All right, start with "Theresia" ~desho," she said, the familiar, eerie music greeting her ears.

Twenty minutes into the game, she was reconsidering her choice.

"**[Survival Horror] **and **[Everything's Trying to Kill Me]**. This game is making me load a lot ~desho?"

She eventually swapped games, after having cursed Theresia one too many times. As she plugged away at Dragon Quest, she glanced at the clock. It had been quiet for a while now, and she figured in about half an hour she could let Saki in. The sun was beginning to sink, staining the sky with crimson.

"Foxbat to DC-1238...I can't remember the rest! Why did you have to pick such a long name?" Saki's petulant tone carried easily through the radios

"It's DC-138621-S113. Or you can call me D, I guess. It's a **[code name]** ~desho. Why did you pick Foxbat?" Kamiko inquired as she fished through her backpack in an attempt to find her PSP.

"It'll take too long to explain, which defeats the whole point of the "covert tactic" thing."

"In about fifteen minutes I'll meet you at the gate. I think everyone's gone home by now." Kamiko paused, peering out into the hallway.

It was silent.

"No need for that, D," Saki chirped. "I'm already inside. I'll meet you at the door, so I can show you where the room is. Foxbat out."

Kamiko stared at the walkie-talkie in surprise, but met her friend at the door. Indeed, Saki was beaming at Kamiko as she approached.

"All right, let's go! It's on the second floor, at the end of the hallway," Saki said with a grin.

* * *

It was dark and eerily quiet as the two girls crept up the stairs, their steps soft as if afraid to wake...something.

"There it is," Saki whispered, pointing. The light had gone out, so it was total darkness. Kamiko switched her flashlight on, the light cutting into the black.

"All we need now is a **[Scare Chord]**," Kamiko said, her voice bouncing off of the walls and sounding distorted. Saki clapped a hand over the twin-tailed girl's mouth, cutting off any further conversation as she dragged Kamiko back into the light.

"There it is," Saki said unnecessarily. "I tried opening it before, but it never did. And the lock on the door is really, really old, but it hasn't given in to any picks I've tried."

Kamiko was going to ask why she knew how to pick locks, but decided it wasn't something that she needed to know...yet, anyway.

"Well, I'm going to go try it, just in case." Kamiko quickly trotted down the hall, gave the door an experimental push/pull, then ran back.

She didn't look behind her, just in case.

Saki stared at Kamiko with admiration in her eyes as they went to the stairwell. "That was impressive, Kami-chan. You've got nerves of steel."

"Something like that," Kamiko muttered, staring at her flashlight. "Now what?"

"Now, we eat." The two sat on the landing, munching away at their snacks between mundane conversation which settled into silence. Kamiko kept sneaking covert glances at Saki, unsure of if she should be talking.

This was the longest she'd ever been around someone.

"All right, I'm all fired up!" Saki declared, jumping to her feet. "I'm going to go outside and watch the window. You keep an eye on the door, okay?" Her green eyes blazed with energy.

"All right." Kamiko paused, glancing down the hallway.

"Keep in touch," Saki said, putting a hand reassuringly on Kamiko's shoulder. The dark-haired girl nodded as Saki disappeared into the rapidly darkening twilight.

One hour passed, then two, the only sound the occasional crackling of the walkie-talkies. She tried the door, but it still refused to budge.

"Anything on your end, Kami-chan?" Saki's voice was tinny.

"Nope. You?"

"Nada."

Kamiko sighed as she glanced at her phone, feeling restless from boredom. She had brought her DS out, but the screen's light seemed swallowed by the darkness...so it was left in her bag. The moon was slowly rising, and Kamiko wondered if it was up there, laughing at the mortals' foolish attempts to unravel mysteries.

Kamiko's mind had meandered down memory lane when she heard a noise. Grabbing her walkie-talkie, she hailed her friend.

"Sorry, I missed that. What did you say?"

Silence.

"Foxbat? Saki-chan?" Kamiko's voice rose as she tried to contact Saki, to no avail.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she realized the sound that she heard wasn't coming from the walkie-talkie...

It was coming from the club room.

"**[Hell is that noise]**?" Kamiko crept slowly closer, drawn by fascination, curiousity, and horror. Stopping in front of the door, she stared as if trying to see through it.

"Surely there's a mundane explanation for this," she whispered, approaching the door. "It'll be a **[cat scare]**, I know it. But how would a cat have gotten in?"

Leaning closer, she pressed her ear to the door...

...and heard sobbing.

Kamiko scrambled backwards so fast that she smashed her spine against the wall, leaving her breathless and panicking. Her thoughts were racing, but she felt a need to know what the hell was going on.

She panted for a moment as she waited for her breath to come back, and slowly stood. Gathering what courage she had as she turned on her flashlight, she opened the door slowly and peered inside.

* * *

Saki was laying outside on the lawn, the dew-soaked grass sparkling in the moonlight. Wrapped inside of a sleeping blanket (not that she planned to sleep, mind you), she stared intently at the window.

One could only stare at a dark window for so long, and soon Saki got bored. Pulling out a book, she rolled onto her stomach so she could keep an eye on the window and read at the same time.

After what felt like the hundredth time of the repetitive query, Saki sighed and glanced at the sky; the full moon was staring down at them with a baleful eye. It had almost reached the point where it would be shining in the window. Closing her book, she unwrapped herself from her blanket, preparing for action.

"D, the time is rapidly approaching," she whispered. "Are you ready?"

Saki waited for a long moment, but heard no response.

"Kami-chan?"

Silence.

Just as she was about to stand, the moonlight illuminated the locked clubroom, a shadowed figure blatantly obvious, hands to its face. A flash of light came from behind the window, which meant someone was in the room.

"Oh crap," Saki said, eyes widening. "It's true."

As that realization sunk in, Saki remembered Kamiko.

"Don't worry Kami-chan, I'm coming!" she shrieked as she raced towards the building, stumbling and cursing as she navigated the gravelled path.

* * *

Kamiko had nearly stopped breathing as she stared wildly at the ghostly figure in front of her.

Long, transclucent hair swirled in a breeze Kamiko couldn't feel, large pale eyes searching the twin-tailed girls' face. The old-fashioned kimono covered the feet, but the ghost was obviously not touching the ground.

A look of sadness crossed the ghost's face as a spectral hand hovered near Kamiko's face.

_Speak, child of man. Ask me what you will._

Kamiko's eyes widened as she sputtered in surprise. The ghost hadn't spoken aloud.

_You are the only one who can hear me._

"Why are you here?" Kamiko asked after catching her breath. "Can I...can I help you?" She grimaced at the cheesiness of her question.

A gentle laugh floated around the room.

_Perhaps. Although mayhaps I should turn that question around. Can _I _help _you_?"_

Kamiko stared at the ghost, puzzlement in her eyes.

_You have not learned of that yet, then. _A sorrowful look came into the ghost's eyes. _I pray the day will not come. As for why I am here, I suppose one could say I was...waiting for you. Though I lament the fact that this day has arrived as well, for it means..._

The ghost stopped, looking towards the darkened ceiling, but did not took a slow step backwards. "You're not going to...eat my soul or something, are you?"

_No, young one. I have no desire for that, although there will be _some_. I have a message for you._

"This seems...really weird. Do you, um, have a name or something?"

The ghost paused.

_I suppose I was called Himeko, long ago. The message I have to impart to you is something you _must_ hear, though whether to believe it or not is your choice. It goes as thus:_

_Chains surround you, bind your soul_

_With the knowledge comes a hole_

_Meetings can be pre-ordained_

_Hopes and fears cannot be feigned_

_Find out "how" by asking "why"_

_Do not falter through the lie_

_In this chance, you must grasp hold_

_Or your fate will be controlled_

_Far around you, a dark, dark haze_

_As you must escape the maze_

_Reach out to touch the truth inside_

_Knowing now, what you could not hide._

Kamiko was silent as she tried to process that information. As if sensing her struggle, the ghost made a motion and a piece of paper appeared out of thin air, containing the same words. Kamiko held out her hands in awe as it floated down, touching it on both sides as if confirming that it were real.

"What does that mean?" she asked, but she figured she knew what the answer would be.

_That I do not know. All I can say is that if you're here now, then it means..._

The ghost fell silent, pondering her words.

_...things will happen very quickly. I wish you luck, child of man._

Kamiko gazed up at the ghost, eyes uncomprehending. "Thank you for the message, Himeko-sama," she said, bowing her head.

_I hope it goes well for you, this time, _the ghost said, reaching out as if touch Kamiko. As if on cue, the door suddenly slammed open, causing Kamiko to nearly leap out of her skin. The ghost gave a small, sad smile and faded away, the whisper-touch leaving a cool trail on her cheek.

Whirling around, Kamiko's dark blue eyes met with amber ones, and she flushed.

"Koizumi-san?" she whispered, blinking. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Koizumi! What happened?" an imperial voice demanded from behind him. "Is the ghost there?"

"Suzumiya-san, I regret to inform you that the ghost has disappeared," Itsuki said, turning and bowing.

A girl stood with her hands on her hips, a bright yellow ribbon glinting in the moonlight. She wore a red armband, though Kamiko couldn't make out what it read. There was an aura of confidence around her, as if she had every right to be in the school in the middle of the night. Behind her was another person; Kamiko recognized him.

"We saw something, though. Where would it have gone?" The girl's brown eyes peered suspiciously around the room, as if expecting something to be hiding in the closet.

"Perhaps Shizuki-san knows something?" Itsuki said, quirking an eyebrow at Kamiko, who stared at her feet. "She is rather knowledgeable in the supernatural."

The girl marched up to Kamiko and looked her straight in the eyes, not startled in the least.

"I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, Chief of the SOS-dan," she announced. "We're here on official business."

"I-I'm Kamiko Shizuki," Kamiko squeaked. "Nice to meet you. I'm here with my friend for an article."

"Did you see any ghosts? We thought we heard something." Haruhi's face was serious as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Kamiko weighed her options, shooting a glance at Itsuki, but he simply shrugged, a bland smile on his face.

"I heard something as well," Kamiko said carefully, "and when I got here all I heard was murmuring."

Haruhi pondered that for a long moment as Itsuki sidled over to Kamiko.

"We need to talk later," he whispered, and Kamiko stared at him curiously.

"Koizumi said you knew about the occult? Like ghosts, aliens, those kinds of things? Have you ever encountered anything?"

"Yes, a few things in my life have been...unexplainable." Kamiko fiddled with her bag, unsure of how much to say. "Let's just say I seem to operate on a lower level of existence...**[Invisible to Normals]**."

Haruhi's eyes lit up. "Really?" A devious expression crossed her face, and Kamiko stepped backwards in alarm. "So you've dealt with ghosts and demons?"

"Run, now, while you still can," Kyon whispered urgently. "You shouldn't have mentioned that!"

Kamiko stared at him, puzzled, while Haruhi was saying something to Itsuki.

"She's a medium, then," Haruhi said with finality, whirling to face Kamiko. "Shizuki-san, you're hereby inducted into the SOS-dan!"

She said it as a statement, a proud look on her face as if that were a rare thing indeed.

Kyon groaned, putting his face in his hands.

"Haruhi. I've told you this. You need to _ask_ people. Not tell them."

Kamiko paused, tilting her head in bewilderment. "I don't understand."

"The SOS-dan is a club dedicated to finding the mysteries in the world," Itsuki helpfully explained. "There are two other members, but they couldn't come tonight."

Just as Kamiko was about to speak, her walkie-talkie crackled to life, scaring everyone.

"Kamiko! I'm on my way up! If you can hear me, talk!" There was panic in Saki's voice.

"I'm okay, the walkie-talkie just stopped working," Kamiko hurriedly assured her friend. "There are the SOS-dan members here with me."

A few moments later, a panting and dishevelled Saki appeared in the doorway, green eyes blazing.

"How _could_ you I was so _worried _I'm going to _murder_ you-" Saki huffed between breaths, hands on her knees. "I saw a shadow that wasn't you! What the heck happened?"

"That's what I want to know," Kamiko murmured, going to her friend's side. "Now is not the time, it seems."

"We've recruited her," Haruhi said with a wide grin. "She's the newest member of the SOS-dan."

Saki raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kamiko. The twin-tailed teen shrugged as Itsuki came over.

"You don't have to, you know," he said quietly, amber eyes concerned. "Are you planning on joining another club?"

Kamiko paused, considering this. "Not really. I was never big on clubs. It seems like an interesting idea."

Saki stared at her friend. "Didn't I tell you about the SOS-dan?"

"Nope."

"Remind me to later. Let's get out of here, I'm getting creeped out." She shivered, rubbing her arms.

"She's right, Suzumiya-san," Itsuki said cheerfully. "I believe whatever was here is gone now."

With a grumble and a tug from Kyon, Haruhi left the room and they all went outside, sneaking out the school gates.

"All right, we'd best head home," Saki said, glancing at her watch. "We'll meet up in the morning, at school, okay?"

"Sure," Kamiko said quietly, thoughts far away. "See you tomorrow, then."

"We'll expect an answer in the affirmative tomorrow," Haruhi said as she marched away. Itsuki and Kyon followed her, both shooting Kamiko apologetic looks, and the three disappeared down the street.


	5. Chapter 5 :: A Big Step Out

**Chapter 5 :: A Big Step Out**

_"That's right. _  
_Let's start a new game here. _  
_With all my friends here, I can laugh with all my force. _  
_My face looks onto the world with warmth. _  
_If i take another big step out, _  
_what kind of world will I see tomorrow?"_

Kamiko went straight home, jogging most of the way through the deserted streets. She shivered as she came upon her house, hands fumbling with the keys. Opening the door, she peered inside and was surprised to see a light in the kitchen on.

"Maro-nii?" she called softly, taking her shoes off and creeping inside. He was at the table, going over some books. "You're still awake ~desho?"

"Yep." He glanced blearily up, massaging his eyes, then frowned. "Isn't it in the wee hours of the morning?"

"Almost," Kamiko said innocently. "I've been drafted into a club."

Maro's eyes widened. "Oh?"

"Yep. The SOS-dan. I don't know what it stands for. Apparently a Haruhi Suzumiya is the brigade chief. Though Koizumi-kun, the guy I know in my class, is in it."

An indecipherable expression crossed Maro's face at the mention of the club, but it was quickly erased by a happy grin.

"Good! Your normal school life is taking off," he said, standing and hugging her. "Although if these late nights keep up I'll have to ground you anyway." Maro ruffled her hair as she stuck her tongue out, skipping up the stairs to her room.

* * *

Kamiko awoke with a start, arms flailing as she fell out of her bed with a _thump_. Rubbing her spine, which seemed to be taking a lot of beatings lately, she sat up, staring at her room.

It was back to normal.

She paused, thinking. She'd been in her room, then a bright light came into her window. That ghost was standing there, above her bed, saying something, but she couldn't make out the words. Then her room had suddenly turned purple, and she'd ran into the hallway to Maro's room, but he was gone.

Kamiko had a sudden sense of foreboding and flung open her door, dashing across the hall and peering into Maro's room. He was sitting up, a sleepy expression on his face.

"Kami-chama? Was that noise you?"

"Yeah, I fell out of bed. I'm so glad you're still here ~desho," she said with relief, trotting over to his bed and hugging him.

"Of course I am, where else would I be at...3:47 a.m.?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow as he rubbed his eyes.

Kamiko described the events to him, and Maro gave her an odd look.

"Wasn't that just a dream?"

"A dream?" Kamiko stared at him, puzzled. "Really? That's the first time that's ever happened."

"You've never dreamt before?" Maro asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Yep." Kamiko was quiet, dark blue eyes pondering. "Huh. That was weird. Well then. Good night." With that, she jumped off of his bed and meandered back to her room, but laid awake.

Dreams were...scary.

* * *

On the walk to school the next morning, Kamiko spotted Itsuki. She gave him a wave, which he cheerfully returned as he trotted over.

"Good morning, Shizuki-san," he said with a smile. "How are you?"

Kamiko blinked in the sunlight. "Tired," she groaned. "How are you so peppy after last night?"

"I'm used to Suzumiya-san's outings," he said mysteriously. "What are your thoughts on her proposal last night?"

"It's kind of sudden," Kamiko mused, "but then again I'm not overly anxious about joining other clubs. The teacher's been on my case about the fact that I'm in the **[Go Home club]**, anyway, so...sure, why not?" She thought about Saki's reaction and noted that she should probably talk to the journalist about her comment last night.

"What happened last night, anyway?" Itsuki asked, amber eyes concerned. "When I opened the door, you were standing there pale as a sheet."

"Ah, nothing much. I heard the crying, but turns out it was the wind whistling through the crack in the wooden windowsill."

The lie came easily to Kamiko, as most of her explanations did. She was used to trying to make people understand her...sudden appearances, and had given up a long time ago.

"I...see." If he wanted to call her on it, Itsuki thought better of it and the rest of the walk was in silence.

In class, Saki looked like the evening had never even happened. She was perky as always, and talking a mile a minute.

"So, what _exactly_ happened last night?" Saki asked, eyes glinting with excitement. "I want details. Of course, your comments will be anonymous, so don't worry about that. Insider scoop! I even got pictures of the room, and the view from the window." She looked quite pleased with herself.

Kamiko considered what all she should tell her friend, a war between common sense and friendship warring in her mind. They came to a truce, though, and Kamiko leaned towards Saki.

"Won't you get in trouble for the fact that, you know, we were trespassing?"

"Nah. The school knows these kinds of things happen occasionally. As long as it's not frequent, the journalism club's advisor covers for us," Saki whispered conspiratorally. "Dish, Kami-chan."

"Well, I'd tried the door handle about an hour prior, and it didn't open, but I figured I'd might as well try again." Kamiko paused, gathering her thoughts. "I got closer to the door and heard muffled crying, and definitely shot backwards." She winced as she remembered the spine-smashing, which wasn't helped by her tumble from bed that morning. "I tried the door, and it opened. I thought I saw something, but there wasn't anything there. The sound was from a knothole in the window frame." Kamiko kept her gaze level as Saki looked at her suspiciously.

"Huh. I definitely saw an outline outside. I'll have to go through my photos, see if anything could have made that shadow." Her pen was flying across the page, making Saki-notes that were unreadable from any angle, or at least to Kamiko.

The bell rang_, _signalling the end of the conversation, and class began. Kamiko was thankful for her lack of presence, as it meant she could easily nap throughout the morning. Saki disappeared during the breaks, and on lunch gave a hasty apology.

"I'm trying to get this article ready," she said, bowing. "Sorry, Kami-chan."

"That's okay," Kamiko said with a smile, flapping her hand. "Go. Your paper awaits."

With that, Saki dashed out the door, leaving Kamiko alone to her thoughts.

* * *

Itsuki wandered over, much to her chagrin; he attracted a lot of attention-not the good kind. Kamiko could feel the pointed, jealous glares across the classroom, her **[minimum exposure] **completely erased.

"I thought you would want some more information on the SOS-dan," he said, handing her a flyer with a bizarre logo. "This should have the basics. Do you want to come after school for a club viewing? I can meet you outside."

Kamiko stared at the pamphlet, unsure of what she was getting herself into. That Haruhi Suzumiya seemed like a person who commanded attention.

"Sure, that sounds good," she said, giving a weak smile to the amber-eyed teen.

He beamed at her, and she felt the glares increase tenfold, and they stayed on her for the rest of the day. She couldn't even nap, there was so much poison in the air.

Kamiko was called upon twice in the next class, and she mumbled her way through the questions. She wasn't quite up to par, what with the late night and the dreams and such, and she knew it; even Saki gave her some strange looks.

After what seemed like forever, the final bell rang and the students shuffled noisily out of the classroom. Kamiko put her head on her desk, trying to muster up the energy to go home.

"Kami-chan, are you okay?" Saki asked quietly. "Did you stay out too late?"

_Concern. Apprehension._

Kamiko was unsure of how to respond to Saki's emotions.

"I'll be fine," she said, attempting to give a reassuring smile. "I'm going to go see the SOS-dan, see if they're what I'm looking for."

Saki sighed, playing with her pen, but apparently reached a resolution. "Okay. If you need anything, I'll be in the Journalism club room, okay? Do you know where it is?"

Kamiko mentally reviewed her map of the club building, then nodded.

"Let me know how it goes!" With that, Saki was gone, and Kamiko was alone in the classroom. Deciding it was too nice to stay inside, she exited the school and sat on a bench, waiting for Itsuki.

She was daydreaming until she heard the sound of an object falling from above her. Startled, she looked up only to see a flowerpot coming at her. She flinched and covered her head with her arms, but to her surprise the pot crashed to the ground beside her.

Itsuki had seen the whole thing, and came running over. Kamiko looked up and saw two girls glaring down at her.

_Jealousy. Hatred._

"Are you okay?" Itsuki said breathlessly. "That pot just barely missed you! Do you have any cuts from shards?"

After a quick inspection, Kamiko deemed herself fine. She didn't even have any dirt on her.

"Odd, ~desho," she murmured, but attributed it to poor aim. "Let's go before any more pots succumb to gravity above my poor cranium."

Itsuki gave her an odd glance, but didn't say anything further about it.

* * *

On the way to the clubroom, Itsuki attempted to explain more about the SOS-dan, since the flyer wasn't all that informative. It simply had the weird logo, "Find mysteries with the SOS-dan!" and the clubroom location.

"SOS-dan stands for "Spreading Excitement all Over the World with Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade", which in essence is a club to explore the mysteries of the world. Suzumiya-san is determined to find paranormal events and people."

Kamiko mulled this over. "And why does she want me?"

"You seem to fit into the 'psychic' category," Itsuki said, raising an eyebrow. "I must agree."

Kamiko paused, her dark blue eyes _really_ looking at Itsuki.

_Secrets. Masking. _

That was new.

"Why would you think that?" she asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. "I'm totally normal."

"The ones who say that usually aren't," Itsuki said dryly as they walked into the club building.

"What about you, then? Why did you join the SOS-dan?"

"I have a vested interest in the club activities," he said mysteriously, then grinned. "It's an interesting club."

Kamiko wondered about that as they went up the stairs. Glancing up, she saw the sign above the door said "Literature Club", but the sign on the doorway was the strange symbol for the SOS-dan.

As if sensing her confusion, Itsuki smiled. "It was originally the Literature Club, but since they only had one member they were disbanded," he explained as he opened the door, and Kamiko blinked in the sunlight coming in through the window.

A long, large table was set up in the center of the room, four laptops spaced evenly upon it. A desk and desktop computer were in front of the window, and Kamiko spotted board games resting on the windowsill. A large clothes rack with a wide variety of costumes took up one side of the room, along with what appeared to be a teaset.

A petite, redheaded girl in a long-skirted maid outfit was preparing tea, and glanced up at the door's opening. She squeaked, covering her face with the tray, but slowly lowered it.

"Koizumi-san?" she whispered, glancing around in trepidation. "Suzumiya-san isn't with you?"

Even her _voice_ was cute, Kamiko thought, standing in the doorway, observing. Kyon was sitting at the table, playing solitare, barely giving Itsuki a second glance.

As if sensing his disinterest, Itsuki went over to Kyon, leaning in close. He murmured something Kamiko couldn't hear, but Kyon twitched and jumped out of his chair, staring suspiciously at Itsuki.

_Shock. Mild anger. Annoyance._

Kamiko chuckled quietly to herself; Kyon was certainly an open book.

Another girl was sitting in the corner, reading a book. Her short, silver hair gleamed in the light, her violet eyes framed with glasses. She looked up at Kamiko, then returned to her book; Kamiko was surprised at this acknowledgement of her existence.

"I brought someone interested in joining," Itsuki announced, gesturing to Kamiko. "Come in. It seems Suzumiya-san is out at the moment."

"She tore out of here saying something about the Supernatural Phenomena Research club," Kyon said by way of explanation.

"Would you like some tea?" the redhead asked meekly, large brown eyes curious.

"Oh. Um. Okay. Thank you," Kamiko said hurriedly, trying to determine what sort of expression she should have. It seemed that mentioning Haruhi Suzumiya brought up a lot of mixed feelings in this club.

"I'm Mikuru Asahina, a second-year," the redhead said as she waited for the water to boil.

"You know Koizumi and I," Kyon said, gesturing to himself. "In the corner is Yuki Nagato."

The silver-haired girl looked up, nodded, then went back to reading.

"This is the SOS-dan." Itsuki looked at her, awaiting her reaction. Just as Kamiko was about to speak, the door smashed open, and Haruhi Suzumiya appeared.

"I borrowed these from the Supernatural Phenomena Research Society," she said with a wide grin, holding up two unmarked boxes; one large, one small. "Since we now have a Spiritual Investigator."

Haruhi's intense gaze locked on to Kamiko, who blinked and pointed to herself.

"Me?"

"Of course. Now that we have a medium, we can do all sorts of _interesting_ things!" Haruhi crowed, brown eyes dancing with excitement. Kamiko was a bit disturbed about the emphasis on the word 'interesting', but let it slide.

"Haruhi. She hasn't even said she's going to join yet," Kyon said in exasperation. "You don't have to," he added, shaking his head. "Don't feel pressured because of her."

"I'm not pressuring her," Haruhi pouted, tossing the boxes onto the table and scattering Kyon's solitare game. She ignored his glare, flopping into the computer chair and turning on the desktop computer. Itsuki sat down as Mikuru began serving tea, and Kamiko followed suit.

"So, um, my name is Kamiko Shizuki. I just transferred here, and I'm in Koizumi-san's class. I enjoy reading, cooking, and, um, occult stuff, I guess?" Kamiko stared at the floor, unsure of what to say. "I would like to join this club. Please take care of me."

Kyon sighed in defeat as Haruhi pumped her fist into the air.

"I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, Ultra Director and Brigade Chief," she announced. "No other positions have been decided yet. Kyon, Mikuru-chan, Koizumi-kun, and Nagato-chan are all competing for the prestigious position of Vice-Commander!"

Kamiko bowed her head to each as they were named.

"What's in the boxes, Haruhi?" Kyon asked, eyeing them suspiciously. "Nothing that would break the law?"

"Of course not," Haruhi scoffed. "First order of business is for the Spiritual Investigator to take her supplies."

"I have...supplies?" Kamiko squeaked, wondering what she'd gotten herself into.

"Of course! You're the club medium, after all," Haruhi said in self-satisfaction. Kamiko hesitantly opened the smaller box, but exhaled in relief upon viewing its contents.

Kamiko removed a small, beige silk bag, and opened the drawstring, peering inside.

"Oh, tarot cards," she said in surprise. "I know about these."

"I expected nothing less," Haruhi said, spinning her chair lazily. "I knew you had potential."

Kamiko missed the looks shot around the room at that pronouncement as she opened the larger box. An odd board with characters written on it, and a small planchette.

"A Ouija board?" Dark blue eyes darted to Haruhi. "Where did you find this? And in Japanese? Usually they play Kokkuri-san, or this board is in English."

"I asked the Supernatural Phenomena Research Society," Haruhi said with a shrug.

Itsuki glanced at Kamiko. "You know a lot about these things," he said quietly.

Kyon's nose was wrinkled as he looked over the board. He was about to say something, but apparently thought better of it, since he abruptly closed his mouth.

"I'm not interested in crystal-healing-herb-dealing things," Kamiko said, frowning. "Most of my interest comes from English horror novels ~ desho."

"Ah, so you're not some sort of dark magician," Kyon said, relief evident in his voice.

Kamiko let out a small laugh. "No, I'm not."

Haruhi, who had been typing on the computer, glanced up at Kyon.

"Kyon. Come here and help me," she demanded. With a sigh, Kyon rose and went over, and the clubroom descended into silence, aside from Kyon muttering things to Haruhi.

Itsuki moved his chair closer to Kamiko, interest in his amber eyes. "You know how these work?"

"Yeah. I read about it in a novel, then got curious." She paused, a thought occuring. "Do you?"

"I suppose you could say that," Itsuki said with another mysterious smile. "I've been involved in some interesting things as well."

Kamiko couldn't think of a response, so she stayed quiet. Itsuki moved the boxes to the side and set up Solitare, after shooting Kamiko a questioning glance. She shook her head and leaned back in her chair, watching Mikuru as she puttered around the clubroom.

_Discomfort. Uncertainty._

Every so often the redhead's gaze would dart to Yuki, then back to whatever she was doing.

Finally, curiousity got the better of her, and Kamiko pulled the tarot cards out.

Haruhi immediately perked up, brown eyes peering excitedly over the top of the monitor. Kyon sighed and sat back in his chair as Haruhi marched over to Kamiko.

"Now that I'm done updating the SOS-dan school website," she said, gesturing to the computer, "I for one propose we see our new recruit in action."

"Haruhi, didn't you see this when you joined the Supernatural Phenomena Research Society?" Kyon inquired, but Haruhi flapped a hand at him.

"They didn't have the aura of mystery that Shizuki-chan has," Haruhi said confidently. "They didn't _want_ to summon spirits. Think of all the ghosts that roam around! We can talk to them, solve their problems, help them move on to the afterlife!" Haruhi's eyes were _glowing_ with anticipation.

Kyon looked alarmed as Kamiko shuffled the cards. "What if they don't _want_ to move on?"

Haruhi gave Kyon a look, and Kamiko easily read her expression.

_Idiot._

"Then we'll make them," she said simply, shrugging. "We can exorcise ghosts if it comes to it, I'm sure."

Kamiko paused, deck at the ready. "Um, what do you want me to do? Tarot cards are more suited to determining the outcome of events, or revealing the feelings behind situations than anything else."

"How about..." Haruhi paused, thinking.

"Flip a card about Haruhi," Kyon suggested. Haruhi pursed her lips, then nodded.

Kamiko took a deep breath. "Tell me when to stop," she said, and began discarding cards.

At Haruhi's directive, after the fourteenth card, Kamiko flipped it.

"Knight of Wands, when reversed: The dark essence of fire, such as a great conflagration: One filled with vitality and limitless appetite, overconfident in their abilities and foolhardy in their actions. A hot temper and domineering nature, coupled with a love of drama and all things theatrical. Anxiety over remaining in one place or with one person for too long."

Kamiko avoided Haruhi's eyes as the words floated around the clubroom. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Kyon suddenly burst out laughing.

"That's Haruhi to a T," he said, unable to catch his breath.

Haruhi looked a little put out, but was forced to acknowledge the truth of the statement.

"That may be true," she said with a frown, "but I don't like _drama_. I like _mysteries_. There's a difference."

Kamiko bowed her head in deference to the Chief's opinion as she put the cards away, and soon the room grew darker as the sun began to sink.

"All right, meeting adjourned," Haruhi announced, slamming her hands on the table and making everyone twitch. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Last one here gets a punishment game!"

With that, Haruhi marched out of the room, and the tension went with her. Mikuru and Kyon relaxed, while Itsuki seemed to be pondering something. Yuki stood and left, and Kamiko realized she hadn't heard a word out of the silver-haired girl's mouth.

"She's always like that," Kyon explained, sensing her confusion. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Welcome to the club."

Itsuki stood as well, gathering his belongings. "Shizuki-san, will you walk with me?"

"Oh. Um. Sure." Kamiko glanced back at Mikuru, her braids swinging.

"I need to change," Mikuru said with a small smile. "Go on ahead."

The two walked down the empty hallway, footsteps echoing in the silence.

"Suzumiya-san seems quite interested in you," Itsuki said with a bland smile. "That's good. When she gets bored, Kyon suffers." His mouth twitched, as if he were enjoying the thought. "Though we all do, at times."

"She certainly has presence," Kamiko said after a moment. "Complete opposite of me ~desho."

"I hope you're willing to go along with whatever activities she comes up with," Itsuki said, amber eyes concerned. "Sometimes we get into odd situations."

"I'll do my best," Kamiko said honestly. "She seems like a nice person. One heck of a Chief."

"Indeed." Itsuki's face turned thoughtful, and the rest of the walk was in silence. Kamiko wondered if she should be talking, but Itsuki seemed to be far away.

At the corner, she turned to Itsuki. He jumped, having apparently forgotten she was there.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to ignore you."

"That's okay," Kamiko said, dark blue eyes flashing in amusement. "I'm surprised you haven't done it before now. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow." He waved as he went around the corner, and Kamiko jogged back to her house, mind full of the interesting events that had occured, and wondering what she'd gotten herself into.


End file.
